RE: Prior Convictions: Guilty as charged
Discussion
My £550 2002 Astra 1.6 sxi (yes, a genuine sxi) - crashy suspension, welded rear arch, more creaks and groans than a 90 year old man with arthritis, unmatching tyres that are ostensibly made of cheese, reluctant to go into 1st or 2nd when cold, decidedly wobbly over 80 miles an hour - a massively more enjoyable and convenient (till it breaks) way to travel than my previous mode of transport - the bus (more expensive day-to-day - twice the price of the car to go into town - stops after 9pm, doesn't go to the supermarket) or the train (full of other people, extortionate).
This car is great fun to drive - it is unquestionably worse than 99% of cars currently being made, but in terms of fun, although the difference between this and, say, a GT3 is, I'm sure, gargantuan, the difference between this car and not driving is infinite.
This car is great fun to drive - it is unquestionably worse than 99% of cars currently being made, but in terms of fun, although the difference between this and, say, a GT3 is, I'm sure, gargantuan, the difference between this car and not driving is infinite.
Edited by je777 on Saturday 9th December 10:43
Edited by je777 on Saturday 9th December 10:44
Datsun Cherry.
There, said it... I'd love one, probably because my late Granddad bought a Y plate red 3 door almost new back in in nineteen canteen from AFG Nissan in Edinburgh, I remember being a lad of maybe 3 years old sat in his Escort Mk2 Ghia that he was trading in as the deal was done. He can it for years, never missed a beat and it was the car that started my interest in spanners... many a weekend spent as child watching him flatten Heinz beans cans and with use of epoxy resin liberated from his work, patch the front and rear valances that seemed to disolve overnight.
That car was then passed to my Mum and it took us everywhere as kids, complete with cool slidey things on the centre console to operate the rear windows. It died one winter I think and she replaced it with a B reg metallic blue 5 door, a GL no less and again it must have done 40,000,000 miles with us going on picnics and such like. At 17, I inherited it as a first car... this was 1998 so it was neither cool nor retro, it was just a bit crap to be honest so I got rid of it rather quickly and bought a 309 GTi which was far more agreeable.
So yes, utter dreadful things, rusted like the Titanic, didn't handle well and had all the style of a badly fitted cardigan but for some reason, I'd have another in a heartbeat...
To the classifieds!
There, said it... I'd love one, probably because my late Granddad bought a Y plate red 3 door almost new back in in nineteen canteen from AFG Nissan in Edinburgh, I remember being a lad of maybe 3 years old sat in his Escort Mk2 Ghia that he was trading in as the deal was done. He can it for years, never missed a beat and it was the car that started my interest in spanners... many a weekend spent as child watching him flatten Heinz beans cans and with use of epoxy resin liberated from his work, patch the front and rear valances that seemed to disolve overnight.
That car was then passed to my Mum and it took us everywhere as kids, complete with cool slidey things on the centre console to operate the rear windows. It died one winter I think and she replaced it with a B reg metallic blue 5 door, a GL no less and again it must have done 40,000,000 miles with us going on picnics and such like. At 17, I inherited it as a first car... this was 1998 so it was neither cool nor retro, it was just a bit crap to be honest so I got rid of it rather quickly and bought a 309 GTi which was far more agreeable.
So yes, utter dreadful things, rusted like the Titanic, didn't handle well and had all the style of a badly fitted cardigan but for some reason, I'd have another in a heartbeat...
To the classifieds!
An apt topic for a website founded on a love of upturned plastic tubs bolted to pig-iron climbing frames (with motion provided by a selection of 3rd hand antique powertrains).
The humble TVR. Objectively complete sacks of ****.
Subjectively abso****inglutely marvellous.
...and before the General Gassing hordes jump down my throat: yes, I do love them.
The humble TVR. Objectively complete sacks of ****.
Subjectively abso****inglutely marvellous.
...and before the General Gassing hordes jump down my throat: yes, I do love them.
Dr G said:
An apt topic for a website founded on a love of upturned plastic tubs bolted to pig-iron climbing frames (with motion provided by a selection of 3rd hand antique powertrains).
The humble TVR. Objectively complete sacks of ****.
Subjectively abso****inglutely marvellous.
...and before the General Gassing hordes jump down my throat: yes, I do love them.
I've had 2 TVRs and agree with this completely.The humble TVR. Objectively complete sacks of ****.
Subjectively abso****inglutely marvellous.
...and before the General Gassing hordes jump down my throat: yes, I do love them.
My automotive guilty pleasure is the first Audi TT. Over the years, I'd grown to despise Audis and Mercs, mainly due to the interactions I had with some of their owners (seemingly anyone I knew who owned one was an absolute genital). However, that curvy, and slightly overweight err.. "sports car" had me taken. I'm not as big of a fan of the VAG 1.8T as some people are but the easily achieved possibility of 300hp in a 4WD coupe was appealing and dammit, it looked good. When audi finally put the VR6 in it though, that's when it went from guilty pleasure to outright lust. It may not be regarded well amongst petrolheads but the TT was a cruiser anyway. Pair it with a V6, make it Kingfisher Blue and drive off into the sunset with a smile leaving dust and a glorious engine note in your wake.
First gen X6. The current model (and X4) has more apologetic styling and lost the part Dakar Rally racer, part giant sedan impact.
TT Mk1 right up there too. A silver coupe is still a masterpiece to behold - possibly moreso now they get around in traffic a generation or two larger.
Guiltiest pleasure is probably the 3 door Pajeros/Shogun from the 90s. I (and seemingly I alone) rate them stylistically right up there with the Defender and XJ Cherokee. 3.5l SWB manual hardtop would be in the garage if the wife saw things my way.
TT Mk1 right up there too. A silver coupe is still a masterpiece to behold - possibly moreso now they get around in traffic a generation or two larger.
Guiltiest pleasure is probably the 3 door Pajeros/Shogun from the 90s. I (and seemingly I alone) rate them stylistically right up there with the Defender and XJ Cherokee. 3.5l SWB manual hardtop would be in the garage if the wife saw things my way.
My current Volvo 850 T5 CD, covered in dents/rust/peeling lacquer, mapped to 280bhp with a 4 speed auto going through the front wheels. Decent tyres on it but f
ked suspension, hillarious sleeper that will spin up either front for fun 
Bought it for £750 and it makes a perfect commuter bus next to my TVR.
ked suspension, hillarious sleeper that will spin up either front for fun Bought it for £750 and it makes a perfect commuter bus next to my TVR.
nicfaz said:
Aha, no aircon and the 1.4 was the only choice when they first came out - 1.2 came later! Alas the original Jazz has moved on now and the wife has another, newer Jazz. She flat out refused to consider any other car, up to and including an Evoque! I started to argue, realised what I was doing then accompanied her to the Honda dealer. She's now waiting for a fully electric Jazz to come out before she changes again...
Your wife knows what she's doing. Utterly brilliant cars. We have a 2010 1.4 EX alongside my Integra DC2 R, and it's great fun to drive. I suspect having the fuel tank under the front seats helps with weight distribution.Gearchange is on a par, if not better, than the Integra's and the handling is quite throttle adjustable. Huge boot, non-existent overhangs and those clever cinema style rear seats are the icing on the cake.
All the car anyone ever needs and makes a mockery of junk like Evoques (known as the car wearing a nappy in our house) that everyone where we live seem to be obsessed by.
2002 Zafira 1800 140,000 miles.
We've owned it from new, it was my wife's car now mine. It's nippy(ish) due to having a stupidly low final drive, it has never failed to start, never failed an MoT, never failed to swallow something I wanted to move, the road-holding's good for what it is, the handling's good in a predictable-but-wallowy sort of way & here in Surrey where the roads are pants there are many roads where I can take the Zaf faster than the Fury simply because the suspension soaks up the potholes so well.
As a car designed to do a job - just be a family car - it does a fantastic job of that ...... job.
It'll move five in comfort, seven when required, pulls the caravan, is big enough to take large quantities to stuff to the tip, small enough to easily fit in a parking space. it doesn't leak, it doesn't eat tyres, it just does what it said on the brochure - again & again & again.
I commend it to the house.
We've owned it from new, it was my wife's car now mine. It's nippy(ish) due to having a stupidly low final drive, it has never failed to start, never failed an MoT, never failed to swallow something I wanted to move, the road-holding's good for what it is, the handling's good in a predictable-but-wallowy sort of way & here in Surrey where the roads are pants there are many roads where I can take the Zaf faster than the Fury simply because the suspension soaks up the potholes so well.
As a car designed to do a job - just be a family car - it does a fantastic job of that ...... job.
It'll move five in comfort, seven when required, pulls the caravan, is big enough to take large quantities to stuff to the tip, small enough to easily fit in a parking space. it doesn't leak, it doesn't eat tyres, it just does what it said on the brochure - again & again & again.
I commend it to the house.
Mine is also a Volvo, but the 340GL 1.7. It was my second car after a Cavalier, and I bought it off my parents as they bought a Volvo 440 (which was truly horribly compared to the 340). I think it was 3 years old with about 12000 miles when I bought it off them.
Over the next two years I did almost 60k in that Volvo and it was brilliant. Uncool to look at (so never bothered washing it), but great to drive, fun handling, really comfy heated seats and a decent sized boot for work. I learnt all about over steer and the fun of drifting in that car. Never worried about it being nicked or broken into at the dodgy cinema car park in Bracknell unlike my mates with an MG Metro, XR3 and Golf GTi.
Over the next two years I did almost 60k in that Volvo and it was brilliant. Uncool to look at (so never bothered washing it), but great to drive, fun handling, really comfy heated seats and a decent sized boot for work. I learnt all about over steer and the fun of drifting in that car. Never worried about it being nicked or broken into at the dodgy cinema car park in Bracknell unlike my mates with an MG Metro, XR3 and Golf GTi.
05 Toyota Corolla 1.6 with all the trimmings. My wife still drives it. In its 12 years it has clocked up a princely 96,000 km. I suggested to her recently that we change it for a Hybrid when it dies. She replied that this logic was flawed as the car could concievably outlive us both.
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